The gold variety is typically prepared like a tomato or bell pepper and can be cored, stuffed, roasted, grilled, used on salads or in pasta, said Pierre Crawley, Peppadew Fresh’s president.

“The promotability of the product is the cult-like following it has over the last 11 years,” Crawley said. “That within itself is the promotion at the retail or foodservice level. It’s not a price-sensitive item. It’s really a matter of people getting it out there, putting it out with that Peppadew brand name which is co-branded with Melissa’s, which carries a great cache of its name alone.”

Melissa’s is merchandising peppadew in 12-count 5-ounce clamshells while Supreme Cuts offers them in 2.5- and 5-pound cello bags.

Peppadew Fresh is starting production on 6 acres of a 15-acre farm.

Harvesting generally runs Sept. 1 through late October. The larger, South African crop runs January through June on reds, with a considerably shorter harvest for golds, Crawley said.

Similar to a habanero pepper, the processed red peppadew is considered too fiery as a fresh item, Crawley said.

Crawley said the gold offers a sweeter and more effective fresh presentation.

He said buyers are expressing favorable interest in the item’s initial production.

Related Articles

About the Author:

Doug Ohlemeier

Doug Ohlemeier, who has written for The Packer since 2001, serves as eastern editor, a position he has held since August 2006. He started at The Packer as a staff writer after working for nearly a decade in commodity promotion at the Kansas Wheat Commission, where he was a marketing specialist.
Doug worked in radio and television news writing, producing and reporting for seven years in Texas, Missouri and Nebraska.
He graduated from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, in 1984, with a bachelor of science degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in history. He earned a master’s in corporate communications from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1991. In college, he served as a news editor of the daily O’Collegian newspaper and interned in radio and television news departments.